Blank Pages
by GrimWolf56
Summary: A young girl is hurled into a strange world, with no recollection of herself. Taken in as a soldier in a fortress, Hellywood, she only has a forgotten life and a will to remember it as a reason for survival. She is the book, her past the pages.
1. Meetings

**- Hello friends! As you may have noticed, this page looks different! I really didn't like how the first few chapters went ,so I rewrote 'em. And mushed the first two in to a chap1hybrid. So...yeah. **

**CHAPTER 1 **

A green-eyed boy of about fifteen years trudged through a weak sandstorm. He was accompanied by a dark-skinned little boy, probably half his age.

"Have you found anything?"

"No."

"Me neithe- WHOA!

The little boy jumped up and down and pointed, making squeaks of excitement. There was a lump in the middle of the sand.

At first, the other was startled by the small ones sudden burst of energy, then looked in the direction he was pointing. He ran up to the lump, then wiped the sand off it. He nearly jumped back to see it was a person.

Female. Well-groomed. Donned a thick brown coat and and black boots. Seemed normal. But...

Her hair was long and... white? And how in the hell was she so pale?

Suddenly, she got right up.

"Augh, my head..."

She turned to them, a dazed look in her eye. Then, looked at the sand.

Quickly, her head spun around to them again, and she screamed in terror. As she flailed, her foot went flying...

_...into the older boy's face._

He toppled over.

"Ugh, my nose!"

The girl stayed back, frightened.

"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?"

"Who are _you_?"

"You tell first!"

"YOU KICKED ME IN THE FACE, YOU TELL!"

"FINE! I'm..."

Suddenly, she looked confused.

_C'mon, you know who you are! You're...You're..._

She began to panic.

_Eek, come up with a fake name! K...D...**K**...i...y..._

"Ki...Kiyuko."

They stared.

"YEAH, K-KIYUKO! HI!"

"That's weird." The older boy said.

"W-well, what's _your _name, Mister...WHATEVER?"

"Nabuca."

"THAT'S WEIRDE-

Suddenly, the two looked horrified.

"Hey, what are you staring at? You look kinda...scared?"

She turned to see what they were looking at.

"GAAAH, MY GOODNESS!"

It was a woman, and judging by her confidence, was probably the leader.

"Hello there..."

She winced as she felt a blow to the head. From then on, all was black.

* * *

Kiyuko opened her eyes and saw the metal frame of a bed as she looked up. She shifted her eyes to the side and, to her surprise, saw the little dark skinned child she saw earlier holding a gun.

"Act up, I shoot." The little boy said, holding the gun in his shivering hands. She was alarmed. "Whoa, kid, hold your horses. What did I do?". The door flew open and Nabuca came into the room. "So, you're _finally_ awake," He said nonchalantly.",put the gun down, Boo. I got this under control."

"I have a teensy-bitty little question."

"What is it?"

"Where the hell am I?"

"Hellywood."

"What the hell _is_ Hellywood?"

"...A training facility."

"For wha**-**"

"Soldiers. Would you shut up already? My head hurts."

"...Ok...one more thing, though."

"What?"

"_Why_ am I here? And why was I in the middle of a huge desert?"

There was a short pause and he nervously looked around, then, lacking certainty, spoke.

"You showed you had the ..._competence_ to be a soldier by beating me up with... a tremendous... amount of... _power_...? So..., now you're a... soldier."

"And the desert?"

He shrugged.

"I'm going to make sure if this is a dream or not. Buh-bye, dream people!".With a quick pinch to the arm, she only let out a yelp, as the two boys simply stared at her. Disappointed, she whined.

"Do I _have _to be here?"

Nabuca turned to her, glaring at her as if she was the dumbest person he ever met and had said the stupidest thing he ever heard.

She got the message and shut up.

**Well, I fixed what I had to fix. If you want to read the old version...well... I dun have it.**


	2. Dreams

_**-Wow, already chapter 2. Anyways, enjoy. P.S. The first 15% or something of the story is before Shu arrives. That's why there's no Shu. YET****.**_

**CHAPTER 2  
**

It was training. Today, two soldiers,chosen at random,had to have a duel. Kiyuko was distracted, drawing pictures in the sand with her fingers. Then she heard someone call her. "Young lady there! Get over here!" The drill sergeant bellowed. She looked up and saw the boy she saw earlier in the day, Nabuca. Kiyuko stood up and timidly went in front of Nabuca.

"Okay, BEGIN!"

Nabuca quickly pulled out his knife. Kiyuko panicked and, as a reflex, kicked his leg. He tripped over Kiyukos foot and fell on flat on his face. She held him down, panting."Well would ya look at that. The sole female was able to beat a boy!" The sergeant said (that's a bit sexist.). Kiyuko slowly helped Nabuca up. The both went back to where they were sitting. The rest of the day went on normally.

~Nabuca's P.O.V~

It was night already. I just lay in my bed, thinking. My life had changed so much. One day, I was a normal boy playing with my friends. The next, I was taken away and forced to fight and kill until the war ended, so I could go back home. Then, I met her. The only girl on Child Corps 113. I sighed to myself. Then I saw a bit of white from the side of my eye. It was her. Why was she out so late? I carefully went up to her. "Hey." She was taken by surprise and flinched. "Oh. Hey." She said after she recovered.

"Why are you up so late? It's past our bed time."

"I'm watching the moon."

"Huh?Why?"

"Because I like how it shines. It's beautiful the way it shines. Plus, it reminds me of some things."

"...like what?"

"Where I come from... at least how it looked. But, it's really scary."

"H-How?" I was frightened. What did she mean?

"It was...a laboratory of some sort."

That's when I saw it. On her arm was a mark or something. It was a strange bunch of squiggles. Why was that there? Suddenly,she slowly stood up and yawned. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed." She tip-toed her way to her bed to not make anybody wake up. She then lied down and fell asleep. She sure was sleepy. I went back to my bed and wondered what that thing on her arm was. Squiggles? What the hell could that be? I barely fell asleep that night.

**_-OMG! What is it that is on her arm? That will be revealed later on! Anyways, This is the longest chapter so far. By a few hundred words, lol._**

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	3. Capture

_**-The story continues!Like it is supposed to...Also, I think the chapters might be longer now. I think.**_

**CHAPTER 3  
**

It had been three days already. They all seemed to go by so quickly for some reason. All until that day. That day was when _he_ came. The boy about Nabuca's age. His name was _Shu_.

"Attention all citizens on board," The P.A. said.", Lala Ru has escaped with an intruder. Search your designated blocks immediately! Lala Ru is to be captured alive. As for her accomplice , you can take him dead!"

"Lala who?" Kiyuko was thoroughly confused.

_Who the hell is that?_

"Lala Ru." Nabuca said. He was all ready now. He had a gun , his scarf was on and his jacket was on. Kiyuko was still wearing her shirt. "Is there something I'm missing here?" She said with an utterly bamboozled face.

"Ugh... Lala Ru is a girl of some sort with the power to control water."

"OH MY GOSH,REALLY ?"

"Yes, really. And we have to _capture _her."

"O.K...I think I get it...maybe"

"THEN GO GET DRESSED, YOU IDIOT!"

"Fine. Bossy, aren't ya?"

**"EXCUSE ME?"**

"Nothing! I'm a sweet and innocent little girl. I did nothing. "

And so, she went and got dressed. She decided to only bring her knife for self-defense in case the intruder guy had a weapon and tried to attack her. Plus, she wasn't very fond of and all the other children followed Nabuca through the hallways . Then, they found the intruder with Lala Ru,who was a boy about Nabuca's age. They all pulled out their guns but the first to shoot was Nabuca. His shot barely missed, grazing the other boy's cheek. The boy turned and , when he saw them, his eyes flew open in shock. Seconds later, he began to run again.

"Get back here, you!"

An adult soldier came to help them.

"Lala Ru, why do they have **GUNS?" **the boy asked in a panicky voice.

They ran after him as quickly as they could. They eventually got to the bridge room-thing. The adult soldier pulled a lever and the bridge began to split. The boy urged Lala Ru to jump but she refused to. Eventually _he _decided to jump. He didn't make it and fell down to what seemed like an endless abyss. One of the other kids about Nabuca's age named Tabool grabbed Lala Ru by the arm and yelled "I got her!". The other children followed and secured her as well. as the bridge went back to how it was, Lala Ru looked back down into the pit where her friend had fallen.

Don't get her wrong, Kiyuko felt great sympathy for poor Lala Ru. The only reason she didn't push Tabool and yell at him when he was hurting Lala Ru was because Nabuca did. She nearly broke into tears when she had to capture her. She never really wanted to be here in the first place.

_What the hell am I doing?_ She thought.

**_- So yeah now Shu shows up in the story. Hope you like the story so far! As I said in Chapter 1, please review whenever you can!_**


	4. Friends

_**-Hello!For those of you who have accompanied my story up until now, thank you. Anyways, here is chapter 4.**_

**CHAPTER 4  
**

Boo was leaning forward slightly, holding onto the railing for support. He looked down where the boy had fallen down.

"Do you think he's dead?"

"Probably. But we'll still check."

A short pause.

"**Hey!**"

All turned towards her. Her eyes gleamed with fury. Her brow was tensely furrowed.

"_Hey, calm down!" _He lightly tapped her shoulder. She suddenly lightened her expression. Her furrowed brow relaxed. She gently bowed her head apologetically.

"Um.. J-just be careful with her."

The boy just grunted, walking away with the captive. Kiyuko glowered. Hated him. One week and she already despised that bastard.

"Anyway," She looked back at Nabuca.

"We'll go and search in groups of two. She'll be with me." They then dispatched.

* * *

"Where do you think he ended up?" Kiyuko asked.

"I don't actually know."

Another short interval. "He could be a spy..." The little one began to rant on and on about the unknown boy being a spy. Until someone stopped him.

"Look. Right now, we're searching for the intruder, correct?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Then cut the useless chatter."

"... yes sir."

Suddenly, they hear a noise-like wood tapping on cold metal.

They hid.

_clack..._

Bodies tense up.

_clack..._

Knives slide out from sheathes.

_clack..._

A shadow signals them to move.

Nabuca bursts out, knife in hand.

"Put that down and lie on the floor."

And then

...bzzzzzzzzz

Kiyuko gingerly held her head with one hand. It hurt.

...bzzzzzzzzz

She tightly held her head with both hands now. She squeezed her eyes shut.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Behind her eyes, she saw strange... flashbacks?

Three friends on top of a building. Two girls. one boy. They smiled.

And one of the smiling faces was...

"Go get the others."

She opened her eyes. She saw Nabuca run off.

* * *

~Kiyuko's P.O.V~

The moon. It was a reward to finally see it. Oh, how long I had waited.

I used the time to catch up on life's tricks. But, my thoughts didn't flow like they usually did.

_What happened back there? Who were those people? And why was...?_

I finally stopped thinking, since the more I thought.. well, the more I thought.

I decided I wanted to sing. I always loved to do that at night. It calmed me, even though my voice sounded way to trembly or cracking.

I looked behind me. It would be rude to wake them up, so I hummed a tune. It just came to me. In my head, it was epic, adventurous music. Some parts were slow, while others were crazy fast.

I stopped. Then, I turned. He was there, staring at me.

A small smile on his lips. A melancholic smile.

I stood up and stared.

"C'mon, let's go to bed." He said.

I couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay."

_**- I know I posted late. I'm SORRY. *sob***_


	5. Heaven Help Us

__**- Serious writing again! Yay! Ha ha ha...ha ha...ha... *cries* I'm so sorry for posting late. *gets a pencil and rubs it on her wrist because she's too lazy to get a knife* I can't live with the guilt! ~10 min. later~ WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?**

**CHAPTER 5  
**

Shaking.

"Wake up."

Kiyuko groaned and turned around on the bed. She didn't want to get up.

"We'll be late for training."

No answer.

"You leave me no choice."

Kiyuko screamed when Nabuca stuck a wet finger into her ear.

"Alright! I'm up! I'M UP!"

* * *

Training that day was torture.

"Good God, did we go through hell today!" Kiyuko joked.

Boo straight out laughed. Nabuca let out a sigh. Kiyuko was her usual playful self. Then, they suddenly stopped.

"Look, isn't that the kid from the other day?" Boo questioned.

Kiyuko curiously leaned on the railing to get a better look. Yeah, it _was_ the kid. He was attached to a rope which was connected to a horizontal pole. The boy had multiple wounds scattered on his back , probably caused by a whip, which still were bleeding profusely. And his face had also seemed to have been hit many times.

Boo asked another question. "Is he dead?"

Kiyuko looked again. He was twitching. The boy was just unconscious.

Nabuca answered before she could.

"Not yet."

_Poor guy. _Kiyuko stopped looking, turning her face with a grimace.

"D-Don't you think that's a little...harsh?" Boo said with a hint of pity in his voice.

"He's an enemy. He doesn't deserve any sympathy."

Nabuca started to walk away until Boo spoke again.

"But...he saved you."

Nabuca stopped. He turned with a scowl.

"How...?"

"I heard you and Tabool talking about it."

"Don't tell anyone!" He snarled.

Kiyuko glanced one more time at the pitiful hanging boy, then she walked away with the others.

* * *

They arrived at a cell. Nabuca briskly opened the door.

"Get out!"

No answer. Boo and Nabuca walked in. Kiyuko, however, stayed behind the door and just listened to what would ensue.

"Move it!"

"But...you're only children!" An unfamiliar voice bounced off the metal walls. A girl around Kiyuko's age was in there. Her body froze and went rigid.

"Stand up!"

"No! What are you doing?"

"THAT IS AN ORDER!" With that, the area was filled with absolute silence except for footsteps.

That was when Kiyuko saw the girl. She was a little shorter than Kiyuko, with waist-length blonde hair and blue eyes. Her head hung down in misery.

They were walking through a hallway when the prisoner broke the silence.

"Do you know what happened to a boy named Shu?"

"Never heard of him. Now shut up and walk."

Kiyuko just walked, not caring where she was going. She almost went past them when they stopped by a room, but Boo grabbed her arm to keep her from wandering off.

Nabuca knocked on the door. It opened. They stood and waited for the prisoner to walk in. She didn't, so Nabuca pushed her into the room. The girl's eyes widened as she let out a gasp and was grabbed by a large hand. The door slammed shut.

All Kiyuko heard was the sound of ripping clothing. She almost threw up.

* * *

"Hey, Kiyuko, you okay?" Nabuca asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm okay...I guess..."

She slowly unbuttoned her jacket. She was too shaken by the events in the afternoon to really care about how fast she unbuttoned some stupid jacket.

Out of nowhere, an alarm sounded.

"Get back into uniform." Nabuca demanded.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Attention all personnel! Assume class one battle mode! Repeat. Assume class..."

Kiyuko was too busy redressing into her uniform to pay any attention to the rest. She was about to snatch her gun when Nabuca grabbed her hand.

"I want you to watch Boo for me."

"What are you talking about? I'm going with you!"

"Please," He lightly touched her shoulders. "I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt!"

"How do you know?"

She froze. _He's right, but..._

"...fine. I'll stay here and watch him, but...,"

She poked his chest.

"You _better _come back alive!"

"I'll try."

And off he went.

* * *

"I hope Nabuca's okay." Boo said.

"If he thinks he's so great, then he _must_ be fine." Kiyuko grumbled.

"You're mad at him, aren't you?" The little boy muttered in a matter-of-factly way.

"Why the hell wouldn't I be? Why is it that _me_,of all people, has to babysi-" She was interrupted by a strange sound.

They both paused and looked around.

"What was that?" Kiyuko squeaked.

Boo shrugged, then they looked outside. There was a voice on the communication network, but they ignored it. A large mechanism was coming out of the ship. Right next to the hanging boy. _They just left him there? Did they forget to let him down? _Kiyuko was worried.

"The UMP missile."

"The what?"

"UMP missile. It's a new rig they added a month or two before you arrived." The little boy was surprisingly acting many times older than Kiyuko at the moment.

All of a sudden, a bright light emanated from the object. Kiyuko knew what this meant.

"Oh no!"

It was too late. There was silence. And then a deafening boom caused Kiyuko to cover her ears.

An enormous explosion then flashed in front of her eyes. She saw a mushroom cloud.

_Oh God. Oh God. What is this?_

"All personnel on board, take a look outside."

"Wha-?"

It wasn't the normal woman's voice or young man's voice. It was a deep older man's voice.

"Watch what happens to those who dare threaten our nation. Their presence is ever so visible. There is no peace for the wicked. Our ongoing war efforts will subject you citizens to further hardship. Bear down for the sake of our holy crusade! This is the inevitable path to our nation's dominion! Rest assured. I have already devised a plan to drive foreign aggressors off the land. Soon, this nation will rise as a superpower above and beyond those in the past! Our glory days are near!"

"When will this guy...?"

"To that end, you must offer yourselves as the footstones to a great nation!"

"...Kiyuko, are you okay?"

She was enraged.

"Holy crusade, my ass! Great nation, MY ASS!"

* * *

Kiyuko could see injured people walking past the sleeping quarters. Some wore eyepatches caked with blood, others seemed to have broken an arm. Some people she saw regularly pass by every day simply didn't show up.

"I'm back."

Kiyuko turned around. She nearly screamed with joy, but she had learned to contain herself.

"I was worried." She said bluntly.

"Yeah..."

He turned around to the others behind him.

"It's past bedtime. Let's all get some rest."

"Yes sir."

* * *

~Nabuca's P.O.V

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, they flashed horrible images of the people I saw around me, screaming in agony, their blood soaking the soil beneath my feet. I shuddered. I never wanted Boo's innocent eye's to see this bloodshed. Kiyuko, too. In just a week or two, she had become like a sister to me. Maybe it was that something told me Kiyuko had suffered as much as I have. I didn't want them to see what I've seen. To end up like me, who was almost accustomed to it all.

"Hey."

I almost shrieked out loud in fear. My heartbeat slowed when I saw it was just Kiyuko, standing next to my bed.

"What are you doing...near my bed...watching me sleep?"

"Wanna talk. And you weren't sleeping."

"Umm...okay?"

I walked with her towards the platform outside of the sleeping quarters and we sat down.

She stared at me with her dark blue eyes, then she spoke.

"What was the real reason you...made me stay behind?"

She was still a bit mad, wasn't she?

"W-Well, um..." I nervously looked back at her. She was patiently waiting for me to speak up.

"Umm... We had no one else to watch Boo and... a-and..."

"Go on."

"Y-You're a girl, so..."

That didn't help. It actually made her more furious.

"So _what _if I'm a girl? I don't see how having breasts_, _long hair, and the ability to bear children makes me better or worse than you!"

"U-Umm, a-actually..."

I was in trouble. She was gonna squash me like a bug.

"I meant that...you're...less..."

"Do you have a knife on you?"

_Okay, that was sudden. Do I have a knife? No I don't. Maybe...Oh!_

While I was fumbling around, Kiyuko had already gotten a knife. I stared dumbly while she sauntered back to my spot.

"For a girl, I seem much smarter than you." She said smugly.

"You're gonna hold this against me forever, aren't you?"

"Yup!"

Unsheathing the knife, Kiyuko grabbed some of her hair. A smile crept onto her face.

And she chopped it all off.

It was amazing how much she looked like a boy with her hair that short.

"From now on, I will only accept you treating me like one of you guys," She gestured towards her hair. "This is just to make it less awkward."

_Whoa. I had never noticed how deep her voice is._

"You understand?"

"I guess I'm okay with it."

_Maybe._

**-I alway's like to imagine Kiyuko with Oz's hair from Pandora Hearts after she cuts it. I really don't know why.**

***********dancing in her underwear singing/screaming* YAMI WO KIRISAKU, OPEN FI-*stops dancing* Oh...I thought you were still...reading..ha ha. *puts on some pants* R-R&R?...SACRIFICING TO GO!*drinks a bottle of Febreze***  



	6. Offense

***************humming "Sunday, Bloody Sunday"***

**CHAPTER 6  
**

Apparently, Kiyuko had days where she was so hyper-active, she couldn't even think right and other days where she was so _groggy_, she couldn't even think right. This was probably one of her "hyper days". She was bouncing all over the place.

Unfortunately for everybody that day, they had to handle grenades. Kiyuko called to Nabuca for help. With an annoyed sigh, he walked her through the steps...for the _fifth time. _

"Ah, so you take off the pin and throw it?"

"Exactly. Why don't you try?"

Kiyuko carefully held the grenade, while Nabuca looked to where the grenade would pass. He heard the fizzling sound, but was puzzled to see the _pin_ flying through the air instead of the grenade. Then, it hit him. He turned to see Kiyuko juggling the grenade from hand to hand, a silly smile plastered on her face.

"How did I do? Did I do it righ-"

She was interrupted by Nabuca screaming and snatching the thing from her hand. He hurled it as far away as possible. An explosion rang out, causing all the other children to turn around. A large crater lay a few feet in front of them. Nabuca stood there, shaking his head in shock, while Kiyuko giggled quietly and nervously.

* * *

And Kiyuko didn't cool down later in the day. Something had happened to make her even more excited.

"Ooh, ooh, let me see!"

"Calm down, please."

The "intruder" was now part of the core. They didn't seem too happy about it.

"Who _is _he?" A boy asked.

"Don't you remember? He's the one who tried to help Lala-Ru escape!"

"Why's he here, though?"

Another boy shrugged. "Who knows?"

Kiyuko was about to raise her hand and scream "I DO!" when Nabuca and Boo walked in. She'd already had her fun annoying Nabuca, so she kept her mouth shut.

"What's going on, Nabuca?" The same boy asked.

"He's one of us now. He's a soldier, like us."

"What? Isn't he an enemy?"

"It's an order from Lady Abelia. That's that."

Tabool was sitting against the wall, silent until now.

"I'd say it's 'cause she's so desperate for soldiers. We just lost so many."

There was a pause.

"...But will he be any good as a soldier?"

Tabool then sneered.

"Oh, don't worry, he might even be better than Nabuca."

Kiyuko stopped what she was doing, gritting her teeth and furrowing her eyebrows in anger.

_Oh, that obnoxious, good-for-nothing son of a **bitch**_.

Nabuca balled his hand into a fist and firmly took a deep breath. He exhaled loudly and spoke.

"We all have to get ready. We have to search the ship for Lala-Ru's pendant."

Everyone stared for a while.

"We don't have all day. Hurry up!"

Almost all of them left, except for Nabuca, Kiyuko, Boo, and Tabool. Nabuca turned to Boo.

"You should stay and watch the kid here."

"Y-yes sir." Boo responded in a very excited tone.

The little boy hopped over next to the bed. Kiyuko let out a brief smile.

Tabool passed by Nabuca and offered him a confrontational glare and grunted.

"Has he always been like this?"

He didn't know he was staring at the floor till now. Nabuca looked up to see Kiyuko staring at him.

"N-no...," He turned his head to the side and sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh...okay," Kiyuko kindly gestured towards the hall and smiled softly. "Let's go."

* * *

"Oh, um-'Scuse me. Thank you."

Kiyuko was struggling to walk past the men at work. She'd lost count of how many feet she stepped on.

"Oof! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry!"

They finally arrived at the location they'd search through first. Nabuca shuddered, seeming to have remembered something.

"If it fell in there, you can forget about getting it," Tabool retorted, having seen Nabuca bent over the rails."...Was the thing even with him at the time?"

"I...I don't remember."

"Huh, whatever you say. I guess you had your hands full, anyway." Tabool scoffed.

That one moment, Nabuca completely dropped his stoic facade. He crossed the distance between himself and Tabool. His hands angrily snatched his neckerchief, balling the cloth up in his fists.

"If you have something to say, come out with it!" He snarled.

"Oh should I?" Tabool haughtily replied. They glared at each other for a while.

Nabuca calmed down and pushed Tabool away from him. As he strode to another corner of the platform, he heard Tabool yelling.

"I'm sorry they dumped that kid on you!"

"I'd take him over you any day!" He responded.

That earned him a "Humph." from Tabool.

All of a sudden, he stopped.

"What is it?" Kiyuko asked. She went to stand next to him.

They looked down to see a wooden stick.

"It's the kid's..."

Nabuca picked it up.

"We should give it back to him."

* * *

"...Did you hear that?" Kiyuko whispered.

"Hear wha-" He was interrupted by shouting.

"...Where's LaLa Ru?"

Nabuca groaned. They both instantly were _certain_ the new kid was going to be trouble.

"Captivity!" It was Boo's voice.

"Where?"

"I don't know!"

"And Sara?"

"Who?"

There was a moment of silence. Nabuca and Kiyuko quickened their pace.

"Hey, don't move! Didn't you hear what I said?"

They were just about to enter the door.

"I-I have to save them!"

"Whoa, don't move!"

The both of them entered to see Boo spreading his arms, attempting to keep the older boy where he was.

"Boo, what's going on?" Nabuca questioned.

"Nabuca," Boo seemed suprised. ",he woke up and now he's trying to run away!"

"I'm _not _trying to run away! I have to look for someo-" The boy started to stand up, but Nabuca jabbed him in the chest with the stick. He fell on the bed and groaned in pain.

"Stay in bed. You're no use in your current condition. Behave and rest."

Nabuca voice adopted a more serious tone.

"Listen, I don't care what happens to you, but if you escape now, we _all _get punished."

"Why's that?"

"Because you have been assigned to our corps."

"Corps?" The boy asked dumbly.

"As of now, you're a soldier of Hellywood."

"What?" He shouted, then cringed from having moved. " Who decided? When? I didn't agree to that!"

"Your consent means nothing." Nabuca walked to the corner of the room and set the stick on the wall.

The boy seemed to finally realize what it was. "M-My stick..."

"Draw your gun, Boo."

He followed the elder's order.

"If he acts up, just shoot him."

Boo's eyes widened in fear.

"We'll check back later." Nabuca proceeded on out of the door. Kiyuko soon followed suit.

They were walking down the hall when Kiyuko blurted something.

"I like that kid's spunk."

Nabuca groaned. The kid was going to be a bad influence.

* * *

Kiyuko felt sweat forming over her brow. She struggled to lift a large hunk of metal.

Well, considering the fact everyone but her were used to this kind of labor, it's obvious she'd find some difficulty.

"This is harder than it looks." Kiyuko laughed.

"Here, let me help." Nabuca reached over from behind her and grabbed the edges of the metal.

"One...two...three...now."

They both started pushing and the metal finally flipped over, revealing a maze of gridwork. Now, all they had to do was start searchi-

"At this time, the search effort has been suspended for the day. Tomorrow morning, you'll start where you left off. Eat and rest up for another day. That's all."

Kiyuko sighed. She had been hungry all day, so it was a welcome break.

"C'mon, let's go get some food." She groaned.

"Remember, we have to check on him_._" Nabuca reminded her. "And we shouldn't let him starve, either. I'll get the food. Wait here."

"O-okay..." He was gone before she could follow him, anyway. So, she did as she was told.

Just a few minutes later, he was back with a tray of food.

"Let's go."

* * *

Gunshots.

"That kid's already causing trouble?" Nabuca tensely breathed out. He was worried.

"Apparently." Kiyuko responded.

They entered to see no one was injured and nothing damaged...except the wall. Boo was seen stiffly holding his gun, pointing it at the kid's chest. The elder boy was alarmed and held his hands up.

"What's going on _now_?" Kiyuko mumbled.

"N-nothing." Boo meekly stated.

Nabuca shoved the tray into the boy's hands. All the boy did was stare in disgust.

"This is for you. _Eat it._"

"Grace..." He finally mumbled and timidly spooned some of the food in his mouth. Then, he sputtered. Kiyuko couldn't help but giggle at the boy's reaction.

"This stuff sucks!" He complained

The boy sighed in defeat. He started eating again.

"You guys go eat. I'll keep watch." Nabuca said.

"Of course."

The last thing they heard of the kid was a gurgling sound of revulsion.

* * *

"Let us give thanks!"

"Our great king Hamdo, We are grateful for what we are about to recieve." Kiyuko angrily mumbled along.

"You may now eat!"

Kiyuko muttered some nonsense while she was picking at her food, but then she heard something.

"This is tougher than _training." _A boy behind her complained.

"Don't they serve anything else? I'm getting sick of this..."

"Can't believe we raked through mud and dust all day and found nothing."

"How long will this search last, anyway?" Another boy asked.

"'Till we find it."

"What if we never do?"

"Then we search forever..."

It was then that Kiyuko heard a familiar voice.

"I know a good way to make the search end quicker." Tabool stated smugly. Kiyuko shuddered.

_What is this bastard up to?_

"Really?" They all eagerly asked.

"The new recruit will tell us where to look. Finding the pendant will be a big score for us." He went on.

"H-how will we get him to talk?"

Tabool chuckled. "It won't be a _friendly _discussion, that's for sure."

Kiyuko felt a surge of anger run through her. She looked to the side to see Boo also listening.

"Nabuca will raise hell if he finds out!"

"He's with the kid right now, so let's plan it while we can."

Then all that was heard of them was faint whispers. Boo leaned over close to Kiyuko. Kiyuko caught his stare and nodded.

"This is _bad._" They both mumbled.

* * *

Kiyuko's eyes shot open from the sound of muffled screams. Her body shot up to look at the door. It was closed.

_They're already gone. Dammit!_

Boo was also awake. He smirked.

They had come up with a plan of their own.

They got down from their beds, then proceeded to Nabuca. He was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling.

"Aw, he's so _cute_ when he's asleep and he's...drooling." Kiyuko piped up.

"KIYUKO! Back on track, please!" Boo reminded her, as if he was decades older than he really was.

She nodded. Her hand made it's way to Nabuca's shoulder and shook it.

"Ehh...Ah!" He woke up almost instantly. His hand went up to wipe the corners of his mouth in embarrassment. "What do you want?"

"Well, we were at the cafeteria," Kiyuko began explaining. "and we heard Tabool and some of the boys were talking about..."

"Yeah?" He already got worried.

"They were planning on interrogating the new recruit about the pendant. Tonight." Boo whispered.

"And they aren't gonna be nice about it." Kiyuko added.

Nabuca eyes were suddenly filled with rage. He stood up and walked to the door. He threw it open and ran out.

"Come on!"

Boo and Kiyuko gave each other short glances and followed.

"C'mon, look!"

Kiyuko had walked off...

...and heard yelling.

"Tabool!"

_Found 'em._

"Nabuca. Nabuca, I found them." She pointed to the door of a storage room.

He turned and ran to her.

They opened the door.

"Don't do it, Tabool!"

"Oh, _shut up!_"

Nabuca's arm flailed for the light switch. All of a sudden, the light came on, and there was a surprising scene in front of them. The new kid was tensed up and fearful, while Tabool was holding a knife in hand, raising it as if to stab the boy.

They turned around, surprised.

"It's after bedtime, you know." Nabuca sighed. "Tabool, _why _do you make things so hard for me? Lynching a comrade calls for severe punishment."

"So what? At least we'll find the pendant and get this damn search over with!"

There was a silence until Nabuca spoke again. "And what if you get caught?"

"What, are you gonna report me?" Tabool responded smugly.

"No need for that." A different, much deeper, voice announced.

Nabuca turned around, mouth open in shock. The sergeant had walked in.

A boy fell to his knees in despair and whimpered.

* * *

"These men have committed a great felony," The drill sergeant yelled. "by shamelessly hurting a soldier, one of King Hamdo's assets...and a comrade! As punishment, I hereby sentence to them ten lashes each!"

"Oh, boy..." Kiyuko sighed.

"Put your hands on the wall." He demanded. "You go first! Here you go."

He held the whip out towards the young man they attacked. "Give them ten lashes."

The boy stared at the whip contemplatively. Then at his attackers.

He firmly spoke.

"NO. WAY."

"What?" The older man growled.

"I'm not whipping someone who can't fight back!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. No one ever had dared to talk that way to the _drill sergeant_, of all people. The sergeant, of course, didn't like that response, as he proceeded to punch the child in the face. He fell back and was caught by Nabuca and Kiyuko.

"It's fool's like you who corrupt soldier morale!" The sergeant snarled, then walked up to Tabool first. He raised his hand and then brought it down with full force. Tabool screamed. He continued.

"Let this be a reminder of your serious offense! Reflect with utmost penance! Think _only _of what you can do for King Hamdo! That's all you need to do!"

* * *

~Kiyuko's POV~

I had gone asleep right away. The incident had kept me from a few hours of my sleep. The bed's were hard and thin, but one could get used to it. Man, was I _lost. _No idea where I'm from, how I got here. My mind was a mess.

"Kiyuko..." Nabuca whispered. I whirled around in bed, to see him turned on his side, his eyes barely open. I climbed down.

He patted a space on the bed. "Sit down, I wanna talk."

I sat down and laughed.

"It's past bedtime, y'know." I imitated him. His only response was a grumble.

"I'm scared..."

I got serious again. "About what?"

"Tabool. I'm scared he might...turn into someone like Hamdo."

My ears were intently listening. "Oh, calm down."

I took his hand, intertwining my fingers with his.

"He's just an ordinary jerk. It's a phase."

Despite myself, I grinned. I asked him a question.

"Why are you talking to me, again?"

"It's relaxing."

That filled me with bliss. It's nice knowing you make someone happy. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here for you."

His eyes were already closed. I leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"You're cute when you sleep. Did you know that?"

He smiled.

**- Phew, another chapter done! I hope you don't mind the cutesy stuff at the end hehe... R&R...And that's about it.**


	7. In Hell

**- I'm sorry I changed the title…again. Geez, I go back and forth more than a Ping-Pong ball...Viewer discretion advised. **

**CHAPTER 7  
**

Kiyuko woke up normally. Today, since the temperature was too hot, they wouldn't be training with jackets this morning. It was the case most of the time.

She looked towards the side to see the new boy sitting on his bed. Kiyuko approached him and saw he was still wearing his blue pants. She reached into his small closet and grabbed a pair of the uniform cargo pants.

"Put these on. It's impressive Nabuca didn't give this to you yet." Kiyuko muttered as she tossed the article of clothing at him. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Shuzo Matsutani,b-but you can call me Shu." He stuttered

"And I'm Kiyuko."

"Hm."

Shu proceeded to pick up the pants.

"Bathroom?"

* * *

Training had just started. The sergeant was giving a speech that Kiyuko was too tired to care about.

"The world was unified under King Hamdo's rule. But now, it finds itself on the verge of chaos once more! Many countries are intensifying their military forces in a cowardly attempt to advance upon Hellywood. In fact, their assault has already begun, as you saw in the recnt battle."

Some of the children shuddered, including Nabuca. The thought still horrified everyone. The sergeant continued.

"This is the biggest crisis we've ever faced. Our worst enemy is thought the nation of Zari Bars. Those defective beings couldn't fathom King Hamdo's ideas and were banished from the land. They even hold a grudge against him and are said to be planning his assasination. Such foolishness cannot be tolerated!"

"Foolishness?"

"Quiet, Kiyuko!" Nabuca snapped.

"Efforts are being made to ascertain their hide-out, but we have yet to establish their exact location. And until the day we do, It's up to you to protect Hellywood and King Hamdo! Take pride in your contribution to the world's future! Crack down on traitors and invaders alike, and send them to the gallows! One day we shall see the world unite under the great ideas of King Hamdo!"

Everyone clapped.

"Bullsh-" She stopped as Nabuca glared at her. After some time, the sergeant spoke again.

"Let's begin the mock battles. Who wishes to go first?"

Nabuca stood up. "Me, sir."

"Good, Nabuca. Your opponent will be..." The man's eyes scanned through group. They stopped on Shu. " I don't remember seeing you before."

"He's a new recruit, sir."

"I'm Shu!" He yelled, standing up with stick at hand.

"It doesn't matter who you are, and speak politely to your superiors!" Nabuca replied angrily.

"Step forward." The sergeant ordered. As Shu walked by him, the elder man noticed that he was missing something.

"Where is your knife?"

"I don't like 'em. This will do fine."

They took their places.

"Begin the match, sir." Nabuca grumbled as he glared daggers at Shu.

"Begin!"

The match began as Shu let out a scream and immediately started waving his stick around. Nabuca effortlessly dodged each blow. At one moment, he swung his knife, only to get it stuck in the wood. They eventually broke apart and Shu screamed again...

…and ran off. The other wrinkled his face in confusion as Shu ran back.

After exchanging a few more blows, Nabuca was successful in slightly subduing the other. But then Shu brought his head forward, hitting Nabuca square in the nose. They both groaned in pain, Nabuca gingerly holding his nose and Shu with hands on his forehead.

The sergeant was appalled.

"That's it! Both of you, get back in formation right now! That reckless style of combat has no practical merit!"

His attention went to the others.

"Let's have a new pair!"

Nabuca trudged back to his area. He stood and stared at Shu sitting down, momentarily moving his hand away from his nose.

"Nabuca, your nose..." Kiyuko began.

He proceeded to grumble, and rubbed his nose on his arm. When he looked down, there was a stain of blood. He sat down and cursed under his breath.

* * *

At supper time, Kiyuko got her meal almost first. She wandered around, following Nabuca and Boo.

"Follow me."

He sat across from Shu, who seemed to have almost choked. Boo and her did the same. An awkward silence fell upon the table. Nabuca broke it.

"Your combat's all wrong."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shu asked.

"It's inefficient. You should study your opponent and plan a strategy. Defense is important, too. You're strong, but you're wasting it with blind aggression."

"...Are you one of Oda's relatives?"

Nabuca's face twisted in curiosity.

"Is that a friend of yours?"

"My kendo pal."

"Don't know him."

"Hm...guess not."

Boo piped up.

"If you keeping fighting like that, you won't last long in action."

"I have no intention of going to war."

"You're going whether you like it or not. You're a soldier, just like us." Nabuca began.

"Am not."

"Yes you are. You're in the core, so you have no choice."

"I object!"

"That's irrelevant."

Boo spoke again.

"Are you a kid or what?"

Shu said nothing and looked around, as if someone could hear them.

"Did you find LaLa Ru, Nabuca?"

"I never said I'd look into it."

"So..."

"Of course not."

Shu changed the topic.

"What about Sara? She was the girl in the same cell as I was."

"Who's she?"

"She's a girl I met. We both are from the same place. I need to help her too!"

"Listen, I already told you not to cause trouble. If LaLa Ru stays, the war ends."

"But why?"

Nabuca went rigid.

"B-because King Hamdo says so!"

Boo began to speak.

"Isn't LaLa Ru a monster? Trying to destroy the world?"

"You're wrong!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I do!"

Nabuca had recovered from the previous question.

"What's your relation with her, anyway?"

"Hmmm...," Shu thought for a second. "We're friends, I guess."

"If she's just a friend, then why do you care so much about what happens to her. After all, she's not a sister."

"I care _because _she's a friend!"

Nabuca was taken aback by this answer.

"You're strange."

"You're one to talk!"

"**SOLDIERS!**"

Kiyuko jumped.

"Eep!"

"Give thanks!"

Kiyuko mimicked the others actions, but only mouthed the words. Shu just sat there looking around dumbly.

"You may now eat!"

They did as they were told.

* * *

Kiyuko's P.O.V.

I lay back on my bed. It was pitch black in the quarters. As my eyes slowly got accustomed to the dark, my mind hopped from one subject to another. It always went back to one group, however.

_Who am I? Where did I come from? How did I get here?_

It was one of those nights where you just twist and turn on the bed, trying to get comfortable. But you're just frustrated as hell, tapping on the blanket with your index fingers. You've moved around so much that the covers have tangled around your legs, making it close to impossible to move. Even the cool, other side of the pillow doesn't work.

Just when I was calming down, an alarm made me, and everyone else, jump up.

"Attention, all citizens, type 2 emergency has occurred. All combat personnel, await further instructions in class 1 mode." A woman announced.

Everyone jumped down from their beds and got dressed. We stood by for a minute or two.

"An assassin is aboard Hellywood. All personnel will divide in groups of about five and comb the ship. Whoever finds him may kill him on the spot."

A few minutes of searching found us in a storage room, full of boxes as tall as a full-grown man. Every one entered except for Shu, who leaned against the door frame. Two boys began talking.

"Who was the guy trying to kill?"

"King Hamdo, of course."

"He came right up to the ship? What on earth was the guard doing?"

"The battle the other day must have lowered everyone's guard. I wasn't expecting something like this to happen."

"Do we have to kill him?"

"That's the order."

Nabuca interrupted them.

"You are giving our position in an ambush. Shut up!" He whispered under his breath.

They fell silent and walked ahead.

Nabuca handed me his flashlight and climbed on top of one of the boxes. Seconds later, there was a yelp. Everyone turned.

There was a man, a shawl covering his face. He had grabbed Boo and was holding a knife towards the boy's neck.

"Don't move! If you move, he dies!" The man screamed.

"Surrender. You've got nowhere to hide," Nabuca answered, quite calmly, considering the situation at hand. "Die peacefully."

The assassin proceeded to laugh.

"That's funny! I want to see Hamdo!"

"What'll you do?"

"Kill him!" The assassin yelled.

"How do you plan on doing that? You'll be surrounded and gunned down."

"I'll just take you down with me! Drop the weapons."

My right hand, which was stiffly holding a gun, lowered slightly upon hearing this.

"Don't do it!" Nabuca yelled. I went rigid again.

"I said to drop them! Or else I'll kill him. I'll do it!" The knife got closer to Boo's neck.

"Go ahead. We'll rip you to pieces."

The knife's edge was barely touching Boo's neck by now.

But then, Shu came running and swung down his stick. With a gasp, the man had no choice but to take his knife and block it. Boo took this opportunity to stab the man in the arm. He ran as the assassin groaned in pain.

Shu tackled him, the both of them hitting the wall. They continued to struggle.

"Step aside!" Nabuca yelled.

Shu turned and I shot a glance at Nabuca. He held a gun and was pointing it at the assassin, who proceeded to yelp.

"NO, DON'T!" Shu exclaimed. Nabuca just kicked him to the side.

"I said to step aside!"

A gunshot and a scream resounded through the room. The man whimpered and gingerly held the side of his face.

I ran to Boo. My hands covered his face as Shu got up and began struggling with Nabuca, trying to pry the gun from the others hand.

"Get out of my way!"

"Don't do i-"

Nabuca punched Shu in the face, sending the other back to the ground.

Another gunshot, and it hit the man in the chest. I turned my face in revulsion. It was too much.

I started crying.

When I looked again, Shu had his hands over the wound and was shouting. I squinted, as my tears were blurring my vision.

"D-don't move! You shouldn't mo-!"

One last gunshot interrupted. It hit the man in the forehead.

There was a moment of silence. Shu's head slowly raised and he gave a long look at the dead man's face.

Then, he turned to look at Nabuca. The fear on his face gradually turned to fury.

He ran to Nabuca and grabbed his sleeves, getting them soaked in blood.

"Why did you do it? WHY?" He shouted. Nabuca was eventually successful in pushing him off and to the floor.

Nabuca shuddered. He was horrified, just like everyone else. Even Boo, who couldn't see the scene, was squeamish.

"W-we have to kill. It's our duty. We have to."

More silence.

"Where the hell am I?" Shu muttered. I answered him in a whisper.

"Hell."

Some boys helped him up and they walked out.

"Kiyuko, let me go, please." Boo whimpered.

"Oh...just don't look."

"Okay."

He ran off, leaving Nabuca and I alone.

His fingers loosened around the gun, letting it drop to the floor. His head was bowed down.

I touched his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Nabu-"

He grabbed me by the shoulders and dug his face into my neck.

"Um..."

I gently brought my arms around him.

"There, there."

After a minute, he raised his head.

"Let's go tell him."

"What?"

"King Hamdo needs to know we..."

"Oh..."

I took his hand. We walked outside of the room.

* * *

Nabuca knocked on the ginormous door.

"Sir?"

A joyous voice came through.

"Oh! Please come in!"

We each pushed the doors. Nabuca dragged me with him and we stood at attention. My eyes widened.

_This is the king?_

He wasn't scrawny, but he was definitely not the least bit strong. His green military suit was decorated with epaulettes and his manner quite refined. Hamdo didn't really seem that scary.

This was the guy everyone feared? A weak, fancy-ass, _gentleman_?

I almost laughed.

His eyes shot up and he proceeded to stand up. He looked Nabuca over.

"It must be about the assassin. Did you kill him?"

"Yes."

"Oh! Splendid," Hamdo proceeded to pet him on the head. " What a good boy!"

That was the moment I let my tongue slip.

"Don't touch him." I snarled.

He turned to me. The merriness in his voice was hidden irritation.

"Hm? What was that, sweetie?"

"Don't touch him."

He walked towards me and aggressively grabbed my arm. I winced.

"Now then, I think it wou-"

Nabuca snatched me out of his grasp and covered my mouth with one of his hands.

He stuttered.

"U-Um, sir, I am so, so incredibly sorry. See, she's a-a little _confused_, um, she's terribly ill and has gone a bit mad. Heh, heh. She needs some rest, so we'll be going now!" He ran off before Hamdo said anything.

He slammed the door and let me go.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I recoiled as he raised his fist.

There was no impact. My eyes gradually opened.

His fist lowered.

"Don't _ever_ do that again."

"Yes, Nabuca."

He hugged me. When he pulled away, there was a wistful smile on his face.

"What am I going to do with you?"

**-That's it. Please review. I love feedback. Thank you GoldenDragonEyes (that was so fun to type out and I don't know why.) for help on a few things. **


	8. Remorse

**-I'm so sorry I take so long to update! We've (my family) been preparing to receive guests from Brazil for MONTHS, so I apologize! I sure hope that you will forgive this horrendous act of** **stupidity.**

**CHAPTER 8**

When the two entered the quarters, those who were awake simply greeted them with silence and a solemn stare. Many went up to Nabuca to give him reassuring words and Boo had wrapped his arms around him in a warm hug.

Although the air of the room was calm, Nabuca wasn't. Needless to say, all this attention was rather overwhelming, and he looked frightened.

"I-I-It's alright, no need to make such a fuss, let's all just go and get our rest, OK? Bedti-."

Suddenly, there was a loud screech of pain.

Everyone turned to Kiyuko. Her hand was rubbing her forehead and she bit her lip.

"Are you okay?" Nabuca asked, concerned. She looked up at him. Her vision was blurred.

Kiyuko fell to one knee.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. J-Just a headache."

He was trying to help her up. Everyone else simply watched in confusion.

"Are you sur-"

"Dammit, I'm fine. Let's just go to bed and sleep! Everything is fine. I'm probably just tired. I'll-GAAAAAAH!"

Another scream resounded, this time higher-pitched and cracking.

"You're not okay, Kiyuko."

Slowly, she turned to him.

"I know a trick for headaches, maybe I could...!"

"NO," In seconds, she had Nabuca by the collar and pinned against a steel wall. "I'M GONNA BE OKAY! EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OKAY!"

She began shaking him, rage and tears overflowing, as the others watched on in fear.

"'OH, YOUR NOT GONNA BE OKAY. OH, YOUR FATHER'S NOT GONNA BE OKAY!' EVERYONE TOLD ME THAT! THEY WERE ALL LIARS! THEY ALWAYS WERE! FATHER'S GONNA BE OKA-..."

Her eyes widened as what she had just screamed began to click in her head. The shaking gradually stopped.

"Father's...gonna...be okay..."

Kiyuko finally let go of him.

There was no sound until she spoke.

"I-I'm sorry."

He fixed his disheveled hair then, like the others, walked briskly towards his bed.

* * *

The morning had a tense air to it as nobody spoke or even looked at Kiyuko, except for some glances, uncertain of her sanity. She didn't seem to mind and, instead, sat away from the group and would whisper, to no one in particular.

It must have been afternoon already when, out of nowhere, the ship's P.A. turned on to make an announcement.

"All citizens prepare for expedition. Please report to nearest drillmaster for your supplies and be ready in exactly two hours."

It was still training, so the drillmaster yelled at the children to stay and ran to get supplies. Everyone was somehow even more uptight than before. Everyone but Kiyuko and Shu, who just looked confused.

In barely ten minutes, they had their supplies. A light brown, large jacket and goggles. That was it.

It had been more than an hour since the orders came, and just about every soldier was outside in the sandstorm by then. Some were in large machines.

The crowd was making a ruckus, and conversations sparked up all over the place. Some were boys complaining about what a drag this was, some adults talking about how the youngsters needed to shut up. The noise was unbearable.

Then everyone fell silent.

Kiyuko turned to look in front of her and saw a woman. There had been a small stage set up, on which she stood

"Who is she?"

"Lady Abelia, now be quiet!" A boy behind her muttered.

She began to speak. Her voice was loud enough to hear from the back of the audience.

"As you all know, our fortress was penetrated last night, by assassins seeking King Hamdo's life. Fortunately, he was unharmed, but there is no more time to waste!"

The speech seemed to go on and on, and many people spaced out. They only really heard the "Move Out!", that wasn't even said by this so called "Lady Abelia".

Everyone turned, and a tiring walk that seemed to last forever began.

* * *

It had probably been almost a day when they finally were allowed to rest. Water bottles, only the size of someone's hand, were rationed out. Tents were assembled and more than a dozen people sat under their shade at a time, which didn't really make a difference. They were still sweating buckets.

Nabuca and Kiyuko sat somewhere with few people. Boo, who was walking with them moments before, had wandered off. A long, awkward silence plagued that corner next to a rock for what felt like forever.

"I'm sorry for...um...last night, Nabuca. I didn't hurt you or anything...right?"

He jumped and turned to her, still silent, only this time, looking at her wide-eyed. She mumbled on.

"I-I mean, I did bang you against a wall...pretty hard..., a-and one would assume that would hurt, t-to a certain extent, but, I mean no maj-"

"No, um, I'm fine. Nothing's broken, or-or anything...like that."

It was quiet. Again. That is, until people started to yell, which completely butchered the silence alive.

Nabuca groaned and rolled his eyes. Kiyuko looked hard in front of her and saw the source of all the noise.

Tabool, Boo and that Shu kid in the same location, less than two feet away from each other.

_Oh, hell no._

She listened to hear who was screaming.

_Tabool. TABOOL. WHY WAS I EXPECTING THAT?_

Filled to the brim with annoyance, she got up and trotted over to them, murder in her eyes. That annoyance transformed into utter rage when she saw Tabool hit Boo, sending the little boy down to the ground.

"HEY!"

The boys turned to her in surprise. She stopped right in front of Tabool, glaring at him and growling.

"Get away from them!"

"Come over here and make me!"

"So you wanna start a fight? You can hit a little kid, so why not come here and hit me?"

"With pleasure!"

He rolled up his sleeve and raised his fist.

"STOP!"

They swerved to look behind them.

"Look, it's already tense out here, nobody needs you guys making it worse." Nabuca said, almost looking as if he was going to snap.

Kiyuko bowed her head apologetically at him.

"I-I'm sorry, Nabuca. That was immature."

Tabool simply scoffed and began to walk away.

"Tabool," He stopped. "Is everything all right? You've been acting strange lately."

Tabool snarled.

"It's none of your business."

"Well, if that's how you want it, screw up where I can't see it, and die as far away from me as possible."

All the other could do was stomp away and grumble.

There was a pause, then Nabuca reached into his jacket's pocket and took out his water bottle. He shook it and listened for little splashes.

He handed it to Shu, who, confused, meekly held it.

"Here. There's a little bit left."

"Thank you..."

"Don't get me wrong," He snapped. "I'm just doing this so you're not too weak when the time comes."

"When...the time comes?"

"Let's get this straight," His tone was all business. "I'm of the same opinion as Tabool, those who do not fight have no right to receive food or water. So think about that while you take that drink."

Suddenly, the P.A. turned on to make an announcement.

"We have spotted a village. We are planning to strike as soon as the sand storm clears,"

Nabuca and Boo's eyes widened in fear.

"Complete all arms inspections and stand by."

Nabuca nudged Kiyuko, muttering anxiously.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

They sat down again, where they were a few minutes ago. Kiyuko glanced at Nabuca.

He looked so different up close. He looked younger, smaller...almost helpless in a way.

The young man looked back at her, and suddenly his face contorted in confusion.

"What the hell happened to your hair?"

Suddenly self-conscious, she went to stroke it. It was curly and thin, as always.

"What do you mean?"

He reached into her jacket pocket and took out the water bottle. With his coat sleeve, he polished it, then held it in front of her face.

Her eyes widened.

It was still close to white but...it was lightly tinted a kind of rusty color.

Nabuca lowered the water bottle.

"See what I mean?"

"B-but why is it suddenly red-ish?"

"Maybe it turned white before you got here and the natural color's coming back."

"So my hair is naturally red? Two discoveries in barely two days, something bad happened to my father and my hair is red. That's a record, don't you think?" Kiyuko chuckled, horribly failing to lighten the mood.

No answer.

She turned to him, gazing expectantly. But he had gone back to his original state of anxiety.

She'd know why he was so anxious.

* * *

They were all in formation, the serpent-like war machines, the tanks, the troops, everything. They were in uniform, ditching the large coats from before, to reveal the scarlet of the neckerchiefs and mustard-yellow of the jackets and pants.

In order from left to right stood Kiyuko, Nabuca, Shu and Boo. Tabool was, to everyone's relief, far, far away in a whole other group.

"Well then, you changed your mind?" Nabuca asked.

Kiyuko, who had been looking straight ahead the entire time, turned to look at the conversation that had just started.

"Don't get me wrong," Shu mumbled. "I'm still against fighting. But since I have taken food and water from you, I should at least help."

"What are you going to do?"

This confused the boy.

"I dunno...dig some holes?"

Suddenly, Nabuca looked absolutely furious.

"Did you not hear a single word of what Lady Abelia said about our mission? Don't you know what kind of expedition this is?"

"Nope." Kiyuko piped in.

Nabuca turned to her, in one of the worst moods she had ever seen him in, then turned back to Shu.

"You won't be digging any hol-"

"But I can't fight..."

"You won't be fighting either! This..."

He paused, and then, his voice barely audible, muttered.

"This is much, much worse."

"All units, move out!"

They all began to march forward, Shu almost getting trampled. out of the side of her eye, Kiyuko saw green lines zipping across the sky, each going down with a BOOM, followed by towers of black smoke. In the distance, people were running around, screaming in utter terror and picking up farm tools and crude spears.

She felt sick to the very core.

The troops stopped in front of a group frightened men, holding up their tools as a last resort.

"Do not resist. We are a requisition party from Hellywood. We're not interested in needless bloodshed. We wish to make peaceful negotiation. Drop your arms at once."

Reluctantly, one by one, the villagers lowered their sickles, pitch forks and spears. They were all rounded up, in a crowd. The village leader stood at the front, and out of one of the tanks, the leader of the troops walked out.

"I've heard about this," The elderly leader said in contempt."How Hellywood acquires men and supplies from villages by force. But I never really believed it 'till now. I didn't think anyone could be that shameless."

The officer shook his head.

"Do not misunderstand, we are not here to pillage. We're here to requisition soldiers in the name of King Hamdo. We ask for your cooperation."

"How on earth can you expect us to cooperate if you point guns at us? If it's food you're after, take what you wish and leave us alone."

Again, the officer shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but that is not what we've come for. We need women and children. And above all, we need men who support King Hamdo's ideas and join his holy war. I give you this chance to join."

The elder snarled.

"Some negotiation this is! There is nobody in this village who supports that..._murderer!_"

"So you will not cooperate?"

"As I said, take as much food as you want. But you are not taking _any_ of my people!"

The military officer looked around, then sighed.

"We need to leave before another storm hits. Oh well."

Then, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, he took out his gun and shot him. Just like that.

The entire crowd gasped, and Kiyuko looked away in absolute revulsion.

"Soldiers are what we want! When the war is over, you may return to this village. You have my word."

"Liar! YOU'RE A DAMN LIAR!"

In a fit of rage, a man ran from the crowd, and two gunshots hung in the air.

Kiyuko looked towards Nabuca. What the man had said made him go rigid.

"Don't make me waste any more ammunition!"

"No!"

Shu ran from the battle formation, and knelt down beside the bodies.

"You can't die! Please, don't die!"

"What on earth are you...?"

Shu turned to the officer in rage.

"Why? WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?"

He ran to the officer, but before he could reach the older man, Nabuca ran into him with his rifle, then firmly secured Shu's arm under his thigh and neck under his knee.

"Damn you!" He muttered.

"Who is this fool?"

Quickly, he faced the officer.

"Forgive me sir! He's a new recruit in my core!"

"Well, straighten him out before he subverts discipline!"

"Yes sir."

"AGH, LET ME GO! LET ME..."

Nabuca hit him in the back of his head with the butt of the rifle, knocking the boy unconscious. He got up and sighed. Boo ran up and mumbled something, drowned out by the sound of the leader barking orders, earning him a glare from Nabuca.

"Just keep an eye on him."

He snarled as he got up.

"What a pain in the ass...Kiyuko, work in a pair with me."

"..."

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. They only heard the sound of thundering footsteps as they walked into one of the the thatch roof homes. As she searched, Kiyuko heard a sob and whirled to look.

Nabuca had found a little boy, who started crying.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me, please don't kill me..."

"I'm not going to kill you, now be a good boy and come out."

She took a few steps toward them.

"Please, mister, p-please let me go..."

"You know I can't do that. Just come with me," He was suddenly speaking in a hush, trying to soothe the little child. "If you do, they won't kill you, they'll take care of you."

His voice was filled with hope, as if he were going to choke on it.

"If you can stay alive...you're bound to come back some day!"

"B-but I never ever wanna kill people."

"...I know you don't...neither did I."

And he took the little boy's hand, leading him out the door.

Out of nowhere, they heard children screaming and a single gunshot.

Nabuca ran out, frantic, letting go of the boy, and Kiyuko followed.

A crowd of children was running, with Shu urging them on.

"DAMMIT!"

Nabuca sprinted over to Boo and snatched his gun, with which he had been fumbling with.

"GIVE ME THAT!"

He took aim, eyes focused, their path straight and unwavering. Firmly, he pressed the trigger, sending a bullet flying, which made impact with Shu's leg.

He toppled over, and Nabuca angrily pushed the gun to Boo and ran over.

The other boy was slithering, barely able to crawl, and in a fit of rage, Nabuca jammed his foot onto the bloody thigh of the other, who flailed and screeched in agony.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? WHY WON'T YOU JUST STAY OUT OF OUR WAY FOR ONCE?" The young soldier screamed.

"Y-you can't do this! It-it's just not right!"

"NEVER MIND RIGHT OR WRONG! AN ORDER IS AN ORDER!"

He took some time to pause, his yelling causing him to lose his breath.

"This is what they did to _us_."

"And these kids will kidnap other kids?"

He fell silent, his scowl replaced by a look of surprise. He began to tremble and he bit his lip.

"So tell me...who's gonna stop it?"

He looked up, to the village. His remorse faded into terror, horror, disgust. His breathing was shaking.

"N-nabuca, are you...?" Kiyuko mumbled, concerned.

The pressure on Shu's thigh receded.

Suddenly, Tabool was right next to him, leaning on his gun, a jeering look on his face.

"This kid is real trouble. We better report this when we get back, Nabuca."

"I'm going to..." His voice was a faint whisper, dripping with self-pity.

Moments passed, and the officer trotted over.

"What's going on here?"

"Captai-"

"CAPTAIN!" Nabuca interrupted, leaving Tabool there to glare at him. "The new recruit from my core has obstructed our mission, sir. Therefore, I suggest that he be restrained during our journey back to Hellywood, and subsequently be court-marshaled." There were no traces of shakiness in his voice.

"Hmmm, obstruction?"

"S-stop it...Something is wrong with you people...You're all crazy..." Shu whispered.

The remorse had come back to Nabuca's face momentarily and he stared down at the boy he just shot, the boy who was proving him wrong more and more each passing second. Then he looked back at the captain.

"Very well," the leader ordered. "But place him under close guard, and know that if he escapes, the entire core will pay the price."

"I understand, Captain."

The captain nodded and sauntered away, raising an eyebrow, maybe admiring the, albeit false, firmness of the boy he just spoke with. Tabool simply stomped away in a huff.

Finally, Nabuca let off his foot from Shu's leg, and he slowly walked away, head down.

Kiyuko followed and brushed her hand on his shoulder.

"Nabuca, are you oka-"

He aggressively shrugged her hand off.

"Nabuca, please tell me what's wrong..."

He stopped to run his fingers through his fringe and grab it, taking a long inhale.

He almost sighed his words.

"I need to be alone. I-It...ugh..."

He shot a glance at her.

"It's complicated..."

She stared after him, as, for the first time since they've met, he was truly in a pathetic state.

* * *

Kiyuko's POV

We had arrived at Hellywoood, exhausted, and just about everyone fell asleep the second they fell on their beds. I wasn't one of them.

I needed something to comfort me. So, naturally, I went to the deck outside, to breath the fresh air.

"Hey, Kiyuko. For the hundredth time, _it's bedtime._"

I didn't even turn to face him.

"Hello, Mother, I missed you _so _much."

He made a sound, about to speak, then stopped, maybe to glare at me.

"HA HA HA, how funny."

He sat down next to me and grumbled.

"I can't sleep."

"Me neither."

I looked at him. And I remembered the village, how he was suddenly so..._touchy._

_Should I ask him? Or will he just...nah, it's okay to risk it...then again, "better safe than sorry"...aw, forget it._

"So, Nabuca...?" I began.

"Hmm, what is it."

I took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

"I want to know about your past." I muttered quickly.

His eyes widened.

"You remember what happened to you as a child. I don't, so..."

He sighed.

"You sure you wanna hear it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"The story about how I got here, it-it's...not exactly a happy one. I don't want to bum you out or anything..."

I nodded.

"It's okay. I would have assumed that."

He shook his head and began.

"I wasn't even born when my father died..."

Nabuca looked at me, to see if I was gonna back out on hearing this. Sadly, I wasn't. I wanted to, but, I _just _had to know.

"He had fallen ill. He had already had three kids with my mother, two girls of which who were married, and the one who lived with my mother and I, my older brother, who was three when I was born. Nothing all that major happened for the next two years. When I was almost three, making my brother six, I met Tabool, who was about five..."

"He's older than you?"

He nodded.

"Anyways, they became friends, with my brother just dragging me over when Tabool called him over to play."

"Do you know about Tabool?"

"Do you want to hear about him?"

"Sure."

He began by shaking his head.

"He was one lucky bastard. He had a loving father, a loving mother, and younger brothers he bossed around all the time. I had a mother who was always missing her dead husband instead of paying attention to her kids, older sisters who barely even knew me, and my older brother, the only one who ever really cared."

Nabuca clenched his fist in jealousy, then sighed.

"Back on topic..."

Silence, then, he whined.

"I really don't want to do this."

Like when we were at the village, I rested my hand on his shoulder. This time, he didn't shake it off, taking a deep breath.

"W-when I was four, _they _came. My mother hid me as best she could, but one of those _bastards,"_

He pounded the ground with his fist.

", saw her just that second, and snatched her, a-and me, and my brother, then tossed my brother and I into one of those carts. And you know, they made us into soldiers. But then, that idiot...that _idiot!_"

Curled up into a ball, his voice was shaking uncontrollably.

"I was ten. He got the st-_stupid_ idea of trying to run away! That _idiot _convinced s-some others to go, too! And then, they went ahead with the plan and in no time, they got caught, all the other village kids except for Tabool and I!"

Nabuca grabbed me by the shoulders and stared me right in the face, nose inches away from mine. He was trembling, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. I'd never seen him like this before, and droplets went down my face as well.

'And d'you know what happened next? We... were forced to _kill them. I _watched my brother plead for mercy as I pointed that gun at him. **_I__ shot my brother right in the chest_**. _**I **_**WAS THE ONE WHO JUST STOOD THERE**, **WATCHING MY BROTHER CRY AS HE BLED TO DEATH****!** _**I**_... **I**...I..."

He snapped. He broke down. Letting go of me, he cried like a baby. He curled up again, hiding his face and muffling the sounds of his sobs, no, _wails._

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This boy was always so firm, so collected, around the others. When I met him, he was the apex of authority, diligence, focus. Now, he was a wreck, sniffling like crazy.

I could tell he was ashamed, ashamed of putting on this spectacle, as he was turned away. My hands gently held his shoulders and turned him toward me.

"No, don't look, you shouldn't have to see this, plea-"

"Hush."

He did so, and froze, completely stiff. I lifted his fringe off his face, and for the first time, I saw his forehead. My hand drifted down to his tear stained cheek, which I wiped dry.

"It's okay to cry. If it was wrong, why would we be able to? Huh?"

He shrugged, then winced.

"Ouch!"

His red, swollen eyes looked behind him, and he slipped out of my grasp to grab something.

When he turned, there was a flower. It was pure white, and it's petals were close together like those of a tulip.

"Where'd this come from?" He muttered, scrutinizing it.

"It must have drifted over."

"It stabbed me in the back," He tossed it to me. "Here."

I stared at him. My mouth was suddenly dry, and I felt my face burn.

"What? It tried to kill me, for all I know. I never liked flowers."

He got up and stared at me, with a smile, and I felt my palms get sweaty.

"Keep it. It's a gift for listening. And watching me act like a baby..."

He walked away, chuckling, leaving me there, blushing, dry mouthed, head pounding.

This can't be.

Is this that thing, that thing that ruins lives, that makes us only _feel _we are happy, called...

_Oh, hell no.  
_

**-...*prepares to be stoned to death.*  
**


End file.
